Moorer YMCA to move to Kress building on Royal Street in 2013

The Moorer YMCA on Water Street will be moving into the historic Kress building on Royal Street in downtown Mobile sometime in 2013. (File photo)

MOBILE, Alabama -- The Moorer YMCA currently located on Water Street in downtown Mobile will move into the historic Kress building on Royal Street in 2013, according to management.

The downtown branch - the 8th oldest in the country and one of 5 operated by the YMCA of South Alabama - will be a Healthy Living Center, which utilizes smaller space and a greater focus on fitness to meet the specific needs of its current and target membership.

"I think this is exciting for the community, and it gives downtown another boost," said Mark Hanke, CEO of the YMCA of South Alabama.

He cited declining membership numbers, tremendous overhead costs of upkeep and operation, and the need to eliminate the organization's $5 million debt as reasons for the change, which is but one part of a new strategic plan in place to expand the YMCA's presence and impact in Mobile County.

After years of Mobile County facilities, such as the Chandler YMCA in west Mobile, carrying the financial burden to keep the organization afloat, the trend has changed to where the branches in Daphne and Foley are now the most productive, Hanke said.

There are about 1,600 Healthy Living Centers currently in operation across the country, with a goal of expanding that to 2,500 in the upcoming decade, he said. Part of that will be additional centers in west and north Mobile.

Once the renovations to the Kress building are complete and the Moorer YMCA moves, the previous building at Water and St. Michael streets will be put up for sale, Hanke said.